‘Paul didn’t find that out, I just told you,’ Adam said softly, his eyes narrowed.
She turned away, still reeling from the blow of having him believe, as Paul did, that she could be so fickle as to change her feelings towards either of them because of something that had happened in their past.
‘Eve, what I found out——’
‘I told you,’ she snapped, her eyes flashing, ‘I don’t want to know.’
He gave a heavy sigh of acknowledgement of her anger. ‘What I found out doesn’t concern Lester’s past,’ he continued reluctantly but remorsefully, ‘but your future.’
‘I don’t want to know!’
‘Eve, you aren’t an ostrich, you can’t bury your head in the sand,’ he reasoned impatiently. ‘And this is something you have to know about.’
‘In your opinion,’ she bit out tautly.
He shrugged. ‘Are you interested in learning whether or not this house is still yours?’ he asked hardily.
Her anger left her as suddenly as it had arrived, and she looked at him frowningly. ‘What on earth are you talking about?’
‘This house, and all the money you’ve made from your paintings——’
‘Adam, you aren’t making sense,’ she cut in nervously.
‘I found it necessary to go and see Lester. I had a few things I needed to talk to him about,’ he added grimly, his eyes narrowed. ‘He’s downstairs now, with your grandmother and Marina; I think we should go and join them.’
‘Paul and Marina are here?’ she repeated dazedly—but she didn’t fight it when Adam took hold of her arm and guided her down the stairs.
Her grandmother looked puzzled as she sat in one of the armchairs in the sitting-room, Marina stood tensely in front of one of the long windows that looked out over the garden—and whatever Adam had needed to discuss with Paul earlier it hadn’t been of a verbal nature; if Adam’s chin was still slightly discoloured from the other man’s blow, then Paul himself was now sporting a cut lip and bruised cheek!
He glared at the other man, his expression sullen and uncooperative.
‘Paul——’
‘Don’t waste your sympathy on him,’ Adam rasped harshly. ‘In the circumstances, he got let off lightly.’
‘You surely didn’t do this because you’re in love with Eve?’ Her grandmother frowned disbelievingly. ‘I may be getting old, Eve,’ she said impatiently as Eve turned to her in surprise, ‘but there’s nothing wrong with my eyesight!’
No, she acknowledged ruefully, her grandmother had known all the time of Adam’s feelings for her, despite pretending she didn’t. Just as she now knew of Eve’s feelings for him, she realised with affectionate incredulity.
She had always thought her grandmother the wisest woman she had ever known, and once again she had proved it was so.
‘The fact that I love Eve is all wrapped up in my actions of today, Evelyn,’ Adam assured the older woman, turning with contempt towards Paul. ‘This—this low-life——’
‘Adam!’ Eve gasped protestingly.
‘He’s being polite, in the circumstances,’ Marina assured her hardily.
‘What circumstances?’ she said exasperatedly.
‘I have a feeling Adam is about to tell us that, darling, if you will only let him,’ her grandmother gently rebuked.
‘Thanks, Evelyn.’ Adam nodded, still looking grim. ‘But I’m not about to do any explaining, Lester is.’ He looked at the other man with dangerously narrowed eyes.
Paul shot him a resentful glare. ‘The only person I have to talk to is Eve——’
‘And her family,’ Adam bit out tautly. ‘They’re involved too.’
‘I don’t accept that,’ Paul told him condescendingly.